Book by Daily Herald’s Jim Slusher wins Chicago Writers Association award

The Chicago Writers Association Wednesday named Jim Slusher’s collection of Daily Herald columns as the Indie Nonfiction Book of the Year for 2025.

“To Nudge the World: Conversation, Community and the Role of the Local Newspaper,” published by Eckhartz Press, features a selection of pieces from Slusher’s “Letter to readers” column, which has been running in the Daily Herald since 1999.

“I was a long-time fan of Jim's work before he submitted the manuscript,” said Rick Kaempfer, co-founder and publisher of Eckhartz Press. “He is so fair minded at a time when that trait is nearly extinct. He shows you don't have to be a flame-thrower to have an opinion. Plus his insights into press freedom and expression deserve the audience this award will afford him. We're proud to have published this book.”

Slusher, managing editor for opinion and administration, overseas opinion page content for the Daily Herald. A 1974 Western Illinois University graduate, he worked in print and broadcast journalism in Iowa, Illinois, Michigan and California before returning to Illinois in 1989 to join the Daily Herald’s staff. Earlier this year, Slusher won the 2025 James C. Craven Freedom of the Press Award at the Illinois Press Association convention.

Other Chicago Writers Association winners announced Wednesday include:

Traditional Fiction: “Signs of the Imminent Apocalypse: and Other Stories” by Heidi Bell

Indie Fiction: “The Dying Sun and Other Stories” by Syed Afzal Haider

Traditional Non-Fiction: “Because I Knew You: How Some Remarkable Sick Kids Healed a Doctor's Soul” by Robert C. Macauley

Poetry: “A Map of My Want” by Faylita Hicks

The Book of the Year awards ceremony will take place Jan. 23 at The Book Cellar in Lincoln Square, Chicago.